1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology that increases the efficiency of software installation in an apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When newly introducing an image forming device, it is necessary to perform initial setup work in advance corresponding to the usage environment of the image forming device. The initial setup work may include attachment of hardware options such as finishers that conduct finishing processing of printed material, and installation and setting operations for a control program of the image forming device.
Installation and setting operations for a control program of an image forming device are hereinafter referred to as software installation. That is, software installation is the installation of software and setting values corresponding to the software with respect to a subject apparatus. Software installation includes installation of setting information and extended programs with respect to the apparatus.
When conducting software installation with respect to an image forming device, it often happens that approximately identical configurations are established in the case of image forming devices that are introduced into the same usage environment. Accordingly, in order to efficiently conduct software installation, it is conceivable, for example, to import setting information that was exported from an image forming device for which a control program has already been set to an image forming device for which a control program has yet to be set.
Japanese Patent Application Publication Laid-Open No. 2004-318487 discloses a technology whereby data from an external storage device is automatically copied to a computer according to a program in the external storage device.
In order to reduce work costs by automatizing software installation, and reducing manual operations, it is conceivable to define an instruction manual (hereinafter referred to as a “script”) presenting a work procedure, and execute software installation operations by a program according to the script.
However, with respect to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Laid-Open No. 2004-318487, the following circumstances may arise with a method that is implemented by applying a software installation method using the aforementioned script. That is, with this method, as all data is copied to the apparatus from an external storage device without taking account of the script, the external storage device cannot be removed from the apparatus until data copying is completed.
In the case where the storage capacity of a copy destination is exceeded during data copying, the external storage device cannot be removed from the apparatus, because software installation must be conducted using the data inside the external storage device.